Written by Curtis Lo (@CLoading51)
In this series, we’ll be looking at some of the most ‘out-of-place’ players in the NBA and propose a few teams which would be a realistic trade destination. In this installment, we will be focusing our attention on Bradley Beal of the Washington Wizards.
Why should Beal leave?
The Washington Wizards and top level success are a bit like Ben Simmons and jump shots - they don’t really mix well. Washington have made the playoffs four times in Beal’s seven seasons to date, which is a reasonable level of success in a vacuum, but the franchise has also been littered with countless front office errors. Their draft day decisions prior to and after choosing Beal with the 3rd pick in the 2012 draft have been questionable at best. Examples include the selections of Jan Vesely and Chris Singleton, who were taken no. 6 and no. 18 respectively in the 2011 draft and no longer play in the NBA, Otto Porter, who was taken with the no. 3 pick in the 2013 draft ahead of CJ McCollum, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Rudy Gobert, and Jordan Clarkson, a rotation player who was drafted with the no. 46 pick in 2014 but was subsequently traded to the LA Lakers for cash considerations. From the 2014 to 2017 drafts, Washington either didn’t make a selection or dealt away its picks in draft day trades. These moves have left the Wizards bereft of promising young talent - outside of this year’s draft pick Rui Hachimura and perhaps young center Thomas Bryant - to either build around or trade for superstars.
The Wizards’ free agency decisions have also left much to be desired. During the infamous free agency of 2016, where teams aggressively overpaid for the likes of Timofey Mozgov, Chandler Parsons and Joakim Noah due to a significant spike in the salary cap, the Wizards acquired Ian Mahinmi on a four year, $64 million deal. Despite earning the salary of a key starter, Mahinmi has featured for fewer than 18 minutes in his past three seasons in Washington, averaging less than 6 points and 5 rebounds in each of those seasons.
The blame for many of these decisions lies with former Wizard’s president, Ernie Grunfeld, who was fired in April 2019 after 16 years in charge of basketball operations. Following his appointment, Grunfeld developed a notorious reputation as an individual who never really knew what he was doing. While his dismissal was a good sign for Wizards fans, the concerning news is that a replacement has not yet been found. Tommy Sheppard, the vice-president of basketball operations, is currently calling the shots in an interim role. If Ted Leonsis, the owner of the Wizards, wanted to stabilise the franchise’s front office, a new president should have been hired in the period between Grunfeld’s firing in April and the commencement of the NBA Draft and free agency, or he should have made Sheppard’s role permanent. By sitting in no-man’s-land, there is no clear direction for the future as key offseason decisions have been made by an interim president who may or may not be in charge come the start of the season. And any future general manager or president will have missed a prime opportunity to reboot the franchise in line with their own vision.
Furthermore, Beal’s best teammate over his career, John Wall, suffered an Achilles injury (whilst recovering from another season-ending injury) after slipping in his home in late January and could be sidelined for the entirety of next season. Despite being an All-Star guard from 2013/14 to 2017/18, Achilles injuries are notoriously difficult to fully recover from and for a player whose best asset is his athleticism, there will undoubtedly be a drop in his production. Even if Wall fully recovers, this current iteration of the Wizards would be a 6th seed at best.
At this point in time, Wall’s contract is also one of the worst in the NBA. He is locked in until 2023 and is owed over $170 million. He will earn a staggering $47 million in 2022/23 at the age of 32 if he picks up a player option in 2022. I have no doubt that he will be taking every cent of that $47 million player option. And did I mention that he tore his Achilles?! If the Wizards manage to trade this contract, it will be a minor miracle. But until 2023, it will be a burden on their salary cap and any hopes they have of signing marquee free agents should be put on the back-burner.
All of these circumstances leave Beal as the only star on a not-so-deep Washington roster for the near future, without a clear and conceivable path for the team to gain another one. As the past season has shown, Beal is a genuine All-Star performer, a top 5 shooting guard and one of the best 20 players in the league. Despite his roster’s inadequacies, he was able to drag them to 32 wins, single-handedly winning games on some nights. At the age of 26, he is entering the prime of his career and should be competing for championships, not hoping for lottery balls to fall the right way.
Why should Washington trade Beal?
The idea of trading Beal now draws many parallels to the situation Kemba Walker and the Charlotte Hornets were in this past season. Beal is the franchise’s lone star player and by being on the roster he will put fans in seats and increase the team’s chances of making the playoffs. But if the Wizards front office makes the same mistake that Charlotte did, they could miss their chance to successfully reboot the squad through a massive trade haul and lose their asset for nothing. Beal will be an unrestricted free agent in 2021 and could leave just like Kemba did this past month.
The recent trades over superstar players should have Wizards fans excited. Trading Anthony Davis allowed the Pelicans to acquire three promising young players, three future first round picks and a future pick swap. Sending Paul George to the Clippers allowed the Thunder to acquire one promising young player, a veteran scorer on an expiring contract, five future first round picks and two future pick swaps. Despite not quite being on the level of Anthony Davis and Paul George, Beal would still command a haul of multiple first round picks and blue-chip youngsters.
If the front office and ownership can come to the understanding that this team won’t be able to experience high-level success as currently constructed, they could blow it all up and start again with a new vision. However, this does not appear to be the case, with most reports stating that Beal is not available via trade and that the Wizards plan to offer him an extension. The LA Clippers reportedly reached out to Washington regarding a deal for Beal before they ultimately pulled the trigger on the Paul George trade, but were told Beal was staying put.
Finding a deal for Beal
Personally, I hope Beal has the chance to compete for a championship in the near future and can escape from the basketball wasteland that is Washington. Here are some potential deals that I’ve concocted for Bradley Beal:
Celtics acquire: Bradley Beal
Wizards acquire: Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart, Romeo Langford and future picks
Sending Beal to the Celtics is an intriguing option. Boston currently have a very talented team, headlined by the likes of Kemba Walker, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. However, they are one game-changing piece away from progressing from a 5th seed to a championship contender. This trade hinges on how the Celtics evaluate Jaylen Brown’s development and potential. Following his breakout performances in the playoffs a year ago, the Celtics passed up on dealing Brown for Kawhi Leonard. Brown had flashed elite defensive potential, shown the makings of a good offensive player and done enough to convince Boston GM Danny Ainge to keep him.
However, due to a reduced role last season Brown regressed slightly, averaging fewer points, assists and rebounds compared to the previous year. If the Celtics front office still view Brown as a ‘Kawhi Leonard lite’ who could develop into an All-Star, then they will keep him. However, a lineup containing Kemba, Beal, Tatum and Gordon Hayward would be a massive improvement, potentially catapulting the Celtics into the Eastern Conference Finals conversation and beyond. Beal would provide better shooting and playmaking compared to Brown, and he would also be able to carry the lead guard role comfortably when Kemba is on the bench. While Beal has a higher usage rate than Brown, he is more than capable of taking an off-the-ball role if the Celtics decide to put the ball in Tatum’s hands in order to accelerate his development. A trade to Boston would allow Beal to flourish and compete for an NBA championship with a franchise with a rich history and a bright future.
Heat acquire: Bradley Beal, Ian Mahinmi
Wizards acquire: Justise Winslow, Bam Adebayo, Dion Waiters, Goran Dragic, Tyler Herro (postpone trade till Aug 8th)
Whenever a star player is available, Pat Riley will make sure that the Heat are in the discussion. However, in this case I don’t feel that Miami will have enough assets to get a trade done. Winslow and Adebayo are both talented prospects but neither is a surefire All-Star. Meanwhile, Herro impressed in Summer League but it’s unlikely he pushes the needle enough to get this deal done. Including Herro in the deal would also necessitate postponing any trade until August 8th, given he only just signed his rookie deal. While the pairing of Beal and Butler would be a fantastic combination given the symbiotic meshing of Butler’s slashing and Beal’s shooting, it remains a long shot unless Pat Riley is able to work some executive magic.
Raptors acquire: Bradley Beal, CJ Miles
Wizards acquire: Serge Ibaka, OG Anunoby, Fred VanVleet and future picks
Another exciting possibility is a trade to the Toronto Raptors. Fresh off an NBA championship and the subsequent loss of Kawhi Leonard, Masai Ujiri faces a key decision: hit the rebuild button, trade their veteran core and put their hopes in the likes of Siakam and VanVleet or defend the title and reboot on the fly by adding another star to their roster. Siakam is likely untouchable in trade talks, unless the player being discussed is in the Giannis, Kawhi and Davis tier of superstars. He represents the future of the Raptors, is a fan favourite and is the type of building block Ujiri wants to have in his back pocket in case everything else goes pear-shaped. However, the man who traded DeMar DeRozan would have no qualms about trading VanVleet, Anunoby and Ibaka for Beal. Acquiring Beal would allow Lowry to take a back seat and help him age gracefully whilst still being there to contribute in key moments. While not being in the same echelon as Kawhi when it comes to sealing games, Beal would greatly benefit the Raptor’s ability to close tight games, given his capacity to get hot and take over. Having recently lost the production of Kawhi Leonard, the Raptors are desperate for someone to replace those numbers. Beal would be a great place to start.
Nuggets acquire: Bradley Beal
Wizards acquire: Gary Harris, Michael Porter Jr., Malik Beasley, Monte Morris and picks
Despite finishing as the 2nd seed last season, the Denver Nuggets still appear to be one key piece away from being contenders. They have locked down their two stars for the future in Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, with the latter signing a five year, $170 million extension on July 1st. Jokic will be in the MVP discussion next year barring injury and Murray showed ‘Curry-esque’ flashes in the playoffs, but is a step away from reaching the level needed of a second option on a championship team. Enter Bradley Beal. His partnership with Murray would form the best shooting backcourt outside of San Francisco and Portland. The combined sharpshooting of those two would open up plenty of passing lanes for the ‘Joker’ to do his best work, whilst also creating space in the paint for the Serbian big man to attack. While the loss of Harris, whose partnership with Jokic is almost telepathic, Porter Jr., an exciting, albeit injury-prone prospect, and two young productive guards in Beasley and Morris is tough to swallow, the addition of Beal would give the Nuggets a balance of elite players in the frontcourt and backcourt and provide them with an abundance of weapons that few teams in the West would be able to match.
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